She had to do it
by JorenQuantri
Summary: An alternate time line. There is betrayl, seduction, and plotting to get out of the dungeon. Is it rated M for a reason. It is part one of three.
1. Chapter 1

This is an altered time line, in which Aang has a little longer to master all the elements. It is three years after the end of Season Two, so adjust ages accordingly. I know there seems to be holes in the story, and not a lot of description for the characters, but that is what your imagination if for Hopefully everything else is self explanatory, if not- just ask and I can clarify. Enjoy And it is rated for sexual content and mature language. Don't read it if you aren't suppose to. 

She had to do it.

At least that is what she told herself, in order to wake up every morning. Even if she was waking up in a cell, on _his_ ship, she was still alive. And that was more than could say for those she betrayed. She was sure he would kill them, it was what he had always wanted to do. What he was _meant_ to do.

She tried to wish him away with her thoughts, tried to wish away his entire ship and his crew. Tried to wish away what had happened, everything that she had done. But she could not. This was her fault; this was all her fault. She had caused the downfall of the entire world.

The newly reinstated Prince of the Fire Nation stood at the bow of the boat. He had a stoic expression on his face, but he was happy. He had the Avatar, had his little friends in the hold, and it was all thanks to his waterbender. He had all he ever wanted.

Maybe more.

He remembered when they captured her, when two of his soldiers had stumbled across the camp. They knew they were no match for the Avatar, but figured they could not come back empty handed. They stole her right out of her sleeping bag, bound and gagged her, then dropped her at his feet. He could not have asked for a better hostage.

She had told him everything he needed to know, everything he could ever want to know. Though, he would never tell her that she was forced to do it. That he had given her a truth drug, because then she would not feel the way she did. He knew she blamed herself, and that's what he wanted her to feel. It would make her vulnerable, so he could take advantage of that.

Katara heard him outside the cell before he opened the door. She made herself as small as she could and pressed up against the wall. He only came to visit her if he wanted something, and she had given him everything she knew. There was really no reason for him to come to see her and that scared her.

"Good morning, Katara" Zukos voice rang in her ears. She did not look at him or answer. "Come now, don't be like that" he stated as he sat on the cot next to her. She moved away. "I have come to tell you, that I request your presence today"

She casually looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Me?" she asked in a whisper.

Zuko laughed. "Who else?" he watched her turn away, but he grabbed her chin and turned her to look at him. "I am not asking, I am telling you"

She closed her eyes, so she did not have to look at him. All she could see were the lives of her friends and the fate of the world in his eyes. She could not bare that.

He grabbed her wrist and made her stand up. "I'll take you to wash" he stated. "And get changed" he noticed that she was having a hard time standing. Carefully he picked her up in his arms and felt her tremble. She did not resist him, she did nothing but lay in his arms and he had to smirk. This was what he wanted.

Zuko carried her to the place his soldiers used to wash. He had already given them instructions to fill a tub and to stay away. Not that he would not be standing guard, he just did not want to have to attack one of his own men.

He set her down next to the tub, she knelt beside it, still unable or unwilling to stand. "I'll bring you something to wear" he told her as he left.

She waited until the door was closed to even look at the tub. She could feel the warmth radiating from the water. Carefully she stood on her knees and looked over at the water. It looked so inviting.

She thought about bending it and escaping, but she had already tried that. She knew she could not get away. And he had already punished her for trying. She stripped out of the tattered clothing she wore. She had been trapped for weeks and a bath would feel so nice.

Slowly she got into the tub. She had not looked at her body in a long time and it was almost foreign to her. She was skinnier than she remembered, her ribs were seen under her skin and she was paler than she remembered, and her skin hung off her awkwardly.

She sighed as she enjoyed the water lapping over her. She did not even have the strength to move her arms and try to bend it.

"Here are some cloths" his voice snapped her from her daze. She immediately covered her chest and brought her legs up to her arms. He laughed, he had already seen parts of her. "Take your time" he stated as he set the clothes down on a table. He turned back to her, and saw the burn on her right shoulder. It circled all over her shoulder and went down her arm slightly. It looked smaller than the last time he saw it; when he did it.

As he walked back towards the tub he picked up her rags and burned them. "You won't need those anymore" he laughed as he let the ashes fall. "Just knock when you are done" he stated as he left.

She waited a few moments after the door closed before relaxing again. She tried to conceal her tears, but they made ripples in the water anyways. And there was no one here to see her, so it did not matter.

After an hour of soaking, Katara got out of the tub and foung a towel. It was warm and fluffy, she basked in it a moment, then dried herself off. She kept it wrapped around her as she looked at the clothing he had brought for her.

It was red.

It was Fire Nation.

She did not want to wear it.

But he had burned her other clothes, so it was either them or the towel she was wearing. Neither option suited her, but she knew that at least the clothes would stay on her frame better than a towel.

Carefully she picked up the dress, if it could be called that. There were a few strips of material and some ties, possibly a skirt. She sighed as she dropped the towel and tried to slip into it. It took a few tries but she managed, at least she thought she did.

There were two strips of material that barely covered her breasts and attached to a peice of material that went down the middle of her legs. There was another at the back, leaving the sides of her legs exposed, as well as her entire back. She tied the material from her chest around her neck. It looked like it should be like she had it, but she was not sure.

"Leave your hair down, it looks much nicer" she jumped at his voice. When she turned around she saw Zuko leaning against the door. "You look nice" there was something in his voice that made her cringe and she tried to cover herself but there was alot exposed and she blushed. "Don't cover up" he stated as he walked towards her. "There is a reason I picked that outfit" he stated as he took her wrists in his hand. She could not resist as he pulled her close. "You look very nice" he leaned into her. "Shall we?" he asked.

She shuttered as she felt his breath on her skin. The only time he had been that close to her was when he punished her for bending a few of the guards and escaping to the top deck of the ship. She could see the burn out of the corner of her eye and she was slightly scared.

Her legs gave out and she ended up in his arms. He had a smile on his face, but she could not see it. He wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her towards the door. He helped her towards his quarters as well, passing a few of his soldiers, who did not dare look at them.

He opened up the door to his quarters and led her to a chair around his table. He set her down and went to his own chair. "Thank you for joining me" he smiled. She was fidgeting, trying to cover herself. "Quit it" he snapped and watched as her hands dropped to her sides. "Good" he grinned. "Hungry?" he motioned to the food on the table.

She cautiously took a piece of fruit and ate it. She felt his eyes resting on her and it made her feel uncomfortable. "Stop looking at me" she mumbled.

He clenched his fist. "I will look at you, all I want" he told her. "I can do whatever I want"

She took a deep breath and sat back in the chair. "I won't let you" she whispered.

It make Zuko grin. "You don't have a choice" he stated as he ate some of the fruit as well.

Katara felt sick to her stomach. She could not eat anything else, but sat pleasantly while he ate. He kept looking at her, and she wished she could feel water in his quarters, she would wash away his smirk.

"There is no water" he stated and watched her reaction betray her thoughts. "I know you want to get rid of me" he told her. "And you can't" he snickered.

She shuttered, not from cold, but from the feeling that washed over her. This was not like the other times he had come to see her. There was something else in his eyes, something that she did not want to interpret.

Zuko smirked as he stood and walked around to her chair. "Relax, Katara" he put a hand on her unburned shoulder. "This is suppose to be enjoyable"

Her eyes flared as he touched her. She could feel the heat he radiated through his touch, and though it should have warmed her but it just created goose bumps instead. "I don't want..."

She was cut short when she felt his breath tickle her ear. "You don't want to what?" he asked in a whisper. His hand went down her arm. "You might as well surrender" he stated as he moved his hand back up her arm and moved her hair away. "You've already given me everything else, the only thing left is your body" he gently kissed her neck.

She gasped and moved away from him. "I am not giving you anything" she stated, almost breathlessly.

He grinned. "But you seem to be reacting to me" he stated with delight as he looked at her chest. "besides, why else would I have brought you here?"

She took a deep breath and kept her eyes forward. She was not about to cave to his will. She tried to move away from him, but he held her against the chair.

"There is no need to fight me, Katara" he was gentle with her right shoulder. "You know what happens when you fight me" he gently touched the burn scar on her shoulder. She shuttered. "Just relax, this will be pleasant, I assure you" he moved the chair away from the table. He offered her his hand but she refused to take it. He smiled. "You can't refuse me" he stated as he picked her up in his arms. "I won't let you"

He brought her over to the bed and let her stand beside it. She was wobbly, but she managed to stand on her own. He took a step back and looked at her, biting his bottom lip. He could see all of her womanly curves, all of her attributes, but he wanted to see more.

He reached for the ties at her neck and felt her pull away. He smiled and stepped closer to her. She was against his bed, there was no where else to go, so she stood there and watched as the dress fell away from her body.

She tried to cover herself, but he grabbed her wrists, holding her arms away from her body and stepped closer. He took in her naked form, hungrily. Her legs gave out and she fell into his arms. He smiled. She was too weak to fight against him. He was gentle as he laid her on his bed and laid beside her. For the first time she looked at what he was wearing, and realised it was just a robe. She could only assume that he was naked under it.

"Just relax" he whispered as his hand rested on her stomach.

She could feel the heat from his hand expand to her whole abdomen. It was soothing, not the touch of someone who wanted to hurt her and he felt her relax just slightly. He smiled as he leaned in and kissed her neck again. She moved her head so he could kiss more and he took advantage of it. He kissed all over her neck and ended up hovering over her.

"Why?" she managed to ask as she stared into his golden eyes.

He delicately moved her hair from her face. "Because, in your own way, you are beautiful" he told her. "And you are the only woman around for miles"

She frowned and tried to move away. "I won't..."

"You have no choice" he told her. "Just enjoy what I can offer you"

"I don't want..." she tried to hit him, but he caught her arms above her head. " Please.. don't" she pleaded.

He smiled. "There are countless woman who would kill to be in your place" he stated.

"Then get one of them" she tried to move, but he had her pinned.

"There is that spirit" he laughed. "I thought maybe you'd lost it" he leaned down and bit her neck then softly licked it. He heard her stifle a moan. "I know you liked that" he whispered in her ear.

"No" she shook her head, attempting to convince them both.

He laughed as he did it again and she moaned out loud. "You can't lie to me, Katara" he bit her neck again. "Just enjoy this. Its going to happen whether you are willing or not"

She felt his lips trail down her clavicle to her chest. She gasped when he took her right breast in his mouth. She clenched her fists as his tongue swirled around her nipple. He felt her tense, but he did not stop and went to do the same thing to her left breast.

Katara was breathing heavily and could feel her body betraying her. His touches were creating a fire within her, sparks were flying everywhere. It was something she had never experienced before and she was uncomfortable but enjoyed it alot.

As he started kissing down her stomach, he let go of her wrists, but she did not move. He smiled as he saw her eyes were closed. She inhaled deeply as he kissed her naval and felt her tense when he kissed lower.

He opened her legs to him and gently kissed the inside of her thigh. She tried to close her legs but he held them firmly. "Relax" he whispered as his tongue began a bombarment against the very centre of her pleasure.

After a few minutes he penetrated her with his tongue and could taste her essence. He grinned as he kissed his way back up to her neck.

Her eyes were closed tightly, her fists still clenched and around her head. She was breathing deeply, her chest pressing into his. She closed her legs and tried to move away but he covered her body with his.

"Katara" he sang as he kissed her neck again. "Open your eyes" he stated. She shook her head. He grinned as he kissed her jaw and then her lips. His eyes were open and he watched her eyes flash open. He grinned as they closed again and she tried to resist. He laughed. "You can't resist me" he told her, his lips grazing hers.

"You... you can't... have.. .me" she stuttered.

He grinned. "I already do" he kissed her again and felt her respond. He opened his mouth and tempted her to open hers. She resisted a moment but gave in when he kept persisting. She felt his tongue invade her mouth and met it. They played in each others mouth, little moans escaped both their throats and it left them breathless.

Zuko grinned when Kataras eyes flashed open and she blushed. She looked away from him, tears in the corners of her eyes. She wanted to cry. She had just kissed him, she had enjoyed what he was doing to her. It was bad enough that she had betrayed the Avatar and her brother, she did not need to add this to her conscience.

"What is it?" he asked, noticing her eyes were far away.

"Please let me go" she asked, her throat on the verge of closing.

Zuko smiled. "After I have you" he stated as he reached for the tie of his robe. He discarded it quickly and hovered over her, naked. "Have you ever been with a man?" he asked as he spread her legs with his knees. She shook her head. "I promise to be gentle then" he kissed her lips as he entered her.

She tensed. It hurt. She tried to move away, but found her legs immobile. "Relax, Katara. It will only hurt for a moment" he assured as he moved inside her more. She tried to relax but it felt like he was tearing her. "Relax" he whispered as he moved in more still.

She bent her knees, to try and get away from him but it positioned her differently and it did not hurt. In fact it felt... nice. She gasped when the thought crossed her mind. She began shaking her head and trying to move away.

Zuko sighed as he grabbed her hands and pinned her to the bed. He could tell by the look on her face that she was beginning to enjoy it. "I told you it would only hurt for a moment" he stated.

She moved her pelvis slightly as he moved in and out of her. It was much more comfortable now and she gasped when he was fully inside her. Zuko smiled as he bit her neck. She moaned loudly, though she tried to stifle it.

"Be as loud as you want" he whispered as he made her moan again. He enjoyed the sound, he had never been with a woman who moaned like she did. It was intoxicating and he kept making her do it, as she was getting louder.

He thrust inside her faster and faster. He was nearly his peak and with her moaning, it was not hard. He sucked her neck as he spilled himself deep inside her and collapsed, his head in the crook of her neck. She smelled so sweet and he inhaled deeply.

Kataras eyes were closed, water trickling down her cheeks, as she realised what she had let him do to her. He had broken her completely now. He had already destroyed her mind. Now she could not even consider her body a safe haven, he had taken that too.

"Don't cry" he stated as he whipped away the tears.

"Leave me alone" she tried to move away from him.

"Stop fighting me" he whispered as he gently kissed her neck. "Just accept this"

"I don't want to" she whispered as she began to cry more.

Zuko sighed as he sat up. He grabbed his robe and put it on before manoeuvring her into his lap. "You have to accept this" he stated. "There is no going back for you"

She took a deep breath. "What... what do you mean?" she asked as she let herself be hugged by him.

"There is nothing left for you in your old life" he sighed and made her look at him. "Do you trust me?" his tone was so sincere but she shook her head. "Well you should" he kissed her forehead. "Accept what has happened and where you are. There is no going back" He set her on his bed again. "I'll be back later"

He listened as she began to cry. He had not meant for her to cry, but he got what he wanted. Her body was his, her mind having been his long ago. She was all his now. And he would remind her of that everyday.

They arrived at the Fire Nation just under two weeks after Prince Zuko had taken Katara into his bed. She was not allowed to leave his quarters, without him as he locked her in. And though she wanted to, she could not resist him when he came to take her. He was gentle, and since the first time, it did not hurt. She was beginning to respond to him with something more than hate, but she did not want to admit it.

Since he had burned her, in her first week of capture, he had not hurt her again. Even when they had sex, he was gentle and gave into her subconscious desires as she would never voice them. He loved listening to her moan and he would do anything to hear it.

He gave her food and let her bathe whenever she wanted. She was content. Perhaps not happy, as she still had a lot of guilt on her shoulders, but she was content. The only thing she wanted now, was to see her brother and the Avatar. To make sure that they were all right. Prince Zuko assured that they were fine, but she wanted to see for herself.

And as they neared the shore of the Fire Nation, she got her wish. She stood along side Prince Zuko, on the top deck at the boat at the bow. Below them, Sokka and Aang were let out, in chains and looking like she had, to watch them approach. She was glad to see they were all right.

"Thank you" she whispered as she pulled her cloak around her body more. She was only allowed to wear the dress he had given her, but he knew it was colder outside than in his quarters, so he gave her a cloak to wear. The dress was also a guilty pleasure for him, he was not about to share that with everyone.

"I told you they were fine" he stated as he thought she looked very regal as she stood there with him.

"Prince, it is high tide, we can bring the ship right in" a crewman told him.

"Do so, then" he stated as he turned back. He could see Katara out of the corner of his eye, her hair blowing in the wind and had a small smile on his face. She was beautiful, she was spirited, and she was no one else's.

Sokka looked at the approaching land and sighed. He hoped his sister would be out with them, so he could make sure she was all right. He knew that she had led the Fire Nation to them and though he tried not to blame her, it crept up every once in awhile. But though he blamed her, he was also worried for her.

He sighed. Maybe she was too sick to be brought up or... worse. He shuttered. He may blame his sister, but he would never want her to be gone forever.

"Sokka" Aang whispered, ketching his attention. He looked at him. "Look up there" he motioned behind them. Sokka casually looked back. "Is that..."

"Katara" he whispered. He would know his sister anywhere. He smiled, she was all right, she was safe, she was wearing red. His mind raced as he tried to figure out why. As if on cue, Prince Zuko rubbed the shoulder opposite him, as she shivered, and she let him. Sokkas eyes went wide. "Katara" he yelled. She did not look at him. "Katara" he yelled again, trying to get around the guards that held him and Aang. "Katara"

She watched her brother struggle. She wanted to answer him, wanted to run into his arms and have him wash all of this away, but she could not. She could just stare at him and feel the fire on her left hand. She knew Prince Zuko was holding her hand but she was not sure why.

"I betrayed them" she whispered as a tear fell onto the cloak.

Prince Zuko looked at her. "It would have happened with or without you" he told her. "You just made it easy"

It pained her and she felt sick to her stomach. She wretched her hand from his grip and ran to the side of the boat. One of the soldiers on deck went to stop her, but Zuko stopped him. He casually walked over to her and held her hair back as she threw up.

"Why didn't she talk to me?" Sokka asked more himself than Aang.

"I would say that she didn't hear you" he held his breath to pop his ears. "But the whole bloody ship heard you"

Sokka kept looking at where his sister had been standing, before running off, the Prince right behind her. He could only imagine what the monster had done to her, what he would continue to do to her. Sokka shuttered. "We have to free her Aang" he whispered.

Aang nodded. He had been upset at Katara for telling the Fire Nation Prince where they were and where they were going, but after weeks of being imprisoned in the hold of the ship, he was not angry anymore.

"We have to free ourselves first" he reminded Sokka.

"True" he reasoned as the ship was jarred from landing on the shore. "And.. how do we do that?"

Aang shrugged. "I was kinda hoping you'd have a plan"

Sokka sighed as they were shoved along the deck towards the plank.

"Prince Zuko, welcome home" It was the leader of the Provincial government, Lord Cheng, who greeted him.

"Thank you" he smiled widely as he stepped on the soil of his homeland for the first time in five years.

"You have been granted an audience with Fire Lord Ozai for later this afternoon" he nearly whispered.

Zuko smiled. It was what he wanted. "Am I to present the Avatar at that time?" he was not going to make any mistakes this time. He had learned his lesson.

Lord Cheng nodded. "Until then, I will show you to your room and the guards will make sure you're prisoners are taken care of" he motioned to his guards, who took Aang and Sokka in their grasps once they were on the ground.

As Lord Cheng looked up he saw Katara and was stunned a moment. It was obvious that she was not from the Fire Nation, but she wore a cloak with the emblem on it and she was not chained.

"My Prince, what about the woman?" Lord Cheng asked, once he was able to break his stare away from her.

Zuko smiled and looked back. He could see what Lord Cheng saw, she looked radiant against the backdrop of the ship. She was just standing at the edge of the plank, waiting for some sort of direction. He lifted his hand and she began to come forward.

She walked passed Aang and Sokka, without so much as flinching and ignored their calls to her. She delicately took his hand and stood beside him. "Lord Cheng, this is Katara" he stated.

Lord Cheng looked from the Prince to Katara and back. "Welcome, m'lady" he bowed.

Katara went to correct him, but Zuko stopped her. "Shall we then?" he asked of Lord Cheng. The Lord nodded and turned so they could follow him.

Prince Zuko took a deep breath before he opened the doors of his fathers throne room. Their were two guards with the Avatar between them, who followed him in. He was confident as he approached his father, though he truly felt sick to his stomach.

The pit of fire that surrounded his fathers throne, shielded him from sight, though Zuko could recall what he looked like with precision. It had been seven years, but surely he would not have changed that much.

"Welcome, Prince Zuko" his fathers voice boomed throughout the room.

"Thank you, Fire Lord Ozai" he was on his knees bowing deeply.

"I see you have finally brought the Avatar to me" there was almost a hint of pleasure in his voice, which startled Zuko.

"I have" he motioned the guard forward. "As well as one of his companions" he smiled. "I figured you would not kill the Avatar, so the Water Tribe boy can be sacrificed instead"

The fire around his father shot upwards, but not in rage. "You are finally starting to think like a Fire Nation Prince" he paused. "I graciously accept your gifts and officially welcome you back to the Nation"

"Thank you, m'lord" He tried to hide his smile, with all his might, though he was sure that some of it leaked out.

"I also want you to set up the execution of the Water boy" Fire Lord Ozai stated.

"Of course" Zuko waited for his father to say anything else, but there was nothing. He carefully got to his feet and motioned the guard out. None of them turned their back to the Fire Lord and were finally able to breath once the doors were closed. "Take the Avatar to the dungeon" he instructed.

"I won't let you kill Sokka"Aang told him.

Zuko laughed. "Like you have a choice" he walked off in the opposite direction, ignoring the threats Aang was shooting at him.

Katara paced Zukos quarters, the cloak twirling as she moved. Though the Fire Nation was in its summer, she did not want to take it off. She was nervous. She knew that he was going to see Fire Lord Ozai, that he had probably already done so, and given Aang away. Her betrayal was complete. She did not even want to think of the fate that awaited her brother. Zuko would not talk to her about it, and she knew it was because he did not want to upset her. And that made her more upset.

The movement from the door made her jump and she was at Zukos side in seconds. "Well?" she asked.

"Well what?" he demanded, in a huffed manner.

She stepped back. He was in a bad mood. "What's gonna happen to Sokka?" she asked, not caring what his mood was, she wanted to know.

He turned to her sharply, his golden eyes glaring. "I am not going to get into this with you"

She pursed her lips together. "That pretty much answers my question" she whispered as she turned away from him, her eyes watering. She hugged her arms as a chill began creeping up her body, she was trying not to think about what would happen to her brother, but it was hard.

She heard him shuffling behind her and was surprised when he hugged her. He did not say anything, just held her as she cried. The warmth from his body made her stop shivering, but nothing could take away the feeling from her stomach and heart. She felt like both were cracking under the pressure of her actions.

"I made you do it" he whispered, barely loud enough for her to hear. "I gave you a truth drink"

She sighed as the tears stopped. "I know" she still let him hold her. "I could taste the root in the drink"

Suddenly he whipped her around to face him, holding her wrists to his chest. "Then why'd you drink it?" he demanded.

Katara was shocked at his reaction. "If I hadn't, would you have stopped what you were doing?" her voice was strong. It was getting stronger each day she spent with him. He shook his head "You would have forced it on me and we'd be in the same place" she looked at her arms. "Or I'd be dead" she felt him hold her tighter. "I betrayed my friends, I can live with that. I have to" she whispered "But..." she began to tear again. "The thought of dying scared me more, so I choose the cowards way out" she spat at him as though it were his fault.

"You are a coward" he told her and loosened his grip on her wrists but did not let her go "But I am glad you did it" he whispered as he let her go and turned away from her.

Katara was stunned and still crying. She fell to her knees, her hands in her lap. "What do you want from me?" she asked, confused. She was not sure why any of it was happening, though she was not sure she would change it.

Zuko kept his back to her, trying to sort his own emotions. He did not answer her, as he had no answer to give her. So he merely walked out of the room and left her crying on the floor.

Sokka sighed as he tried to wriggle free of the restraints holding him to the wall. Aang had reluctantly told him what the Fire Lord had planned for him and ever since he was futilely trying to get away from the shackles. He grunted and wriggled as he fought against the iron, but it was no use, he was not going anywhere.

"So.. when is this execution?" he asked, in a meagre voice.

"Whenever... Prince Stupid Head plans it" Aang stated and listened to Sokkas laugh. "What?" he asked.

"Stupid Head?" he asked. "You could have come up with something better" he pointed out.

Aang chuckled. "I suppose" he shrugged. "Its just not worth the effort" he sighed as he rested his head against the wall.

They were in silence a long while before Sokka spoke again. "Do you think he has my sister brain washed?"

"I don't know. I don't think that is possible" Aang sighed. "She seemed very much aware of her actions"

Sokka sighed. "That's what I am afraid of" he closed his eyes. "Do you think she'll fight us if we break out?"

Aang nearly gasped, but he had been wondering the same thing. "I hope not" he stated. "I may be the Avatar, but she can bend me out of the water" Sokka laughed because he knew it was true. "Then again, how much water can there be in the _Fire_ Nation?"

"They have to drink something" Sokka reasoned.

"I hope its poisoned" Aang whispered.

Sokka was about to retort when he heard foot steps coming towards their cell. His stomach tightened, his eyes began to nervously water, and his voice was caught in his throat. He hoped the foot steps would keep going, but they stopped and they heard a key unlock the cell.

"You've a date with the fire pit" the guard laughed as he pointed to Sokka. The man whimpered, as his legs gave out. Where he not fastened to the wall by his hands, he would have fallen at the guards feet.

As the guard moved his key to Sokkas iron handcuffs and unlocked them from the wall, Aang took a deep breath. The guard bound Sokkas hand behind his back in another set of cuffs. If he concentrated all his wind, Aang figured he could send the guard into the wall and render him unconscious. Then he and Sokka would get out of here...

He began to blow and noticed that the guard turned around, his hand ignited in fire. He blocked the wind but did not shoot anything at the Avatar. Aang nearly pouted, but decided to try again.

The guard blocked his attack again, though it pushed him against the wall, though his grip on what remained of Sokkas collar was not lessened. Sokka was trying to struggle, but the guard had a firm grip on him, and Sokka laid more on the ground than anything.

Aang blew again, but this time the guard let his anger flare and flames were sent towards the monk. Aang tried to blow them away but his breath was not strong enough. He closed his eyes and waited for the burning sensation to start.

Instead he felt water splash on his face.

The three men looked towards the door as saw, what they thought was a spirit. Her hair was widely blowing on an imaginary wind,, water was swirling around her body but it looked like she was not controlling it. All three blinked and finally realised it was Katara. She wore Fire Nation colours, but their was no mistaking that she was a waterbender. She wore the dress that Zuko had given her but she put a shirt she had found in a dresser in his quarters over top. Her legs were very exposed, but she had covered her torso. She looked radiant.

"Katara" Aang exclaimed in happiness as she moved into the cell.

Her eyes never left the guard, as she challenged him to make an attack. The guard tensed and let Sokka go. He kept his eyes on Katara, watching as she took the keys from his hand and unlocked Aang.

"Get out of here" she stated as she held the guards attention.

"Not..." Sokka began as Aang went to unlock him.

"Shut up Sokka and leave" she yelled.

He was surprised, she had never been so forceful with him. And in her current state, he was scared of her.

The guard looked at the two out of the corner of his eye then glared at Katara. "They can't leave" he stated.

She gasped and let the water drop around her. Aang and Sokka waited to see what would happen. "Zuko?" she asked, though she knew it was him.

He sighed as he took off his helmet. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Saving them" she pointed to the two men.

"I was doing a find job on my own" he snapped.

She took a deep breath. "Why?" she managed to ask.

He sighed. "I know... my father is a horrible man" he let the helmet drop. "And I know I can't defeat him..." he pointed at Aang. "The Avatar can... even if he is not at his full potential" he paused. "I gave up a long time ago, to try and get in his good graces..."

Aang looked from Katara to Zuko. He had not been paying attention to their interaction, but saw this as an opportunity to rid them all of the Prince. Or at least get away from him. He quietly called the water around Kataras feet to him.

He was careful as he moved, getting into a better position to hit the Prince. But Zuko was moving closer to Katara, so Aang acted quickly and sent ice daggers at him.

"Move" Katara pushed him out of the way and made most of the ice return to water. One caught her on the right shoulder, but just ripped the sleeve of her dress, revealing her fire scar. Though the light was low, Sokka could see it and gasped.

"Did he do that?" he pointed to Zuko. She looked at the scar and nodded. "And still you protect him... why?" he demanded.

"I don't answer to you Sokka" she screamed back. "Now... go" she waved them away.

Zuko was stunned and just watched as she tried to hide the scar on her shoulder. She had actually saved him, and much like her brother, Zuko wanted to know why.

"Go where?" Aang asked.

"I don't care... go stop Ozai.. go home.. just go"

They turned towards the door but did not hear her coming behind them. Sokka looked back. "Aren't you coming?" he asked.

"No" she shook her head and looked at Zuko. "I am staying here"

Sokka whipped around. "With him?" he nearly screamed. "C'mon, Katara, he's got you brainwashed or something..." he walked back and went to reach for her.

"No... not any more" she slyly stated. "Just go.. I'll be fine" she assured.

"No you won't... not with _him_" he sneered the word.

Zuko snorted. "She said leave" he told Sokka.

The man turned to him. "I am not talking to you. Now release my sister of whatever you've done to her" he stated.

"Or what?" Zuko crossed his arms over his chest.

"Or..." Sokka thought a moment. He was not in any shape to fight him. Even when Sokka was at his peak, Zuko was just that much better.

Before either could speak again, a gust of wing threw Zuko against the wall. He hit hard, his head smacked with a sickening sound, and he fell to the ground. "There... now lets go" Aang stated impatiently.

Katara looked at the sprawled Prince. She could run away with her brother and her friend. She could leave him there, he would be taken care of. She could do whatever she wanted.

"Go" she yelled to Sokka as she knelt down beside Zuko.

"Katara" Sokka gasped. He stalked over to his sister and grabbed her arm. "You're coming"

"No.. I am not" she ripped her arm from his grip.

"But..."

"Now, Sokka" she stood and pushed him towards the door. "I will bend you if I have to" she called the water and began looking like a spirit again. His little sister was scaring him and she knew it. "I'll be fine. You take care of Aang" she smiled.

Sokka sighed. His sister was stubborn but there was something else. "Fine" he moved towards the door. "Becareful" he whispered as he pushed Aang out the door.

As she knelt back down to him, bringing water into a healing glove, she could hear them bickering as they walked down the hall. She knew they would find their way out of the dungeon, it was not complicated.

She brought her hand to Zukos head and healed the concussion he suffered from. She felt his stir, then moan, before he flipped onto his back. He smiled when he opened his eyes and saw her hovering over him.

"Why?" he asked.

She sighed. "I don't know"

He found her hand and held it. "Thank you" he smiled, genuinely at her and there was something in his eyes that she had not seen before, something that made her blush.

"You're welcomed" she squeezed his hand and smiled back.

The weight of her betrayal was lighter now. Though, much like him, she would have a constant reminder whenever she saw the scar on her shoulder. But it would not make her hateful, like him. She had redeemed herself to her brother and her friend and now to him. She was not sure why she did it. Not sure why she wanted to. All she knew, without a doubt, is that she had to do it.


	2. The Avatar State

This is Part Two.

And it is rated for sexual content and mature language. Don't read it if you aren't suppose to.

The "Avatar" State

Aang followed Sokka as they exited the Palace of the Fire Nation. They had wondered for a bit through the dungeon, before swiftly escaping from any guards that might have found them. They did not have to use bending or brute force in any way in order to get out.

And now they were just outside the Palace, but they were not sure where. It was night time and their were trees everywhere.

"Great, we've walked out of a maze and into a forest" Sokka whined.

Aang smiled. "But we are out of the Palace and no one will be sacrificed"

"You... have a good point" he managed to smile, though it was obvious that he was worried about his sister. "So.. what now?" he leaned against the nearest tree.

Aang sat down next to him. "I ..." he paused and frowned. "We should..." he sighed. "Defeat Ozai" he whispered.

Sokka sighed. "I hoped you wouldn't say that" he whispered. "I really don't want to go back in there"

Aang leaned against the tree Sokka was leaning against. "But...you know we have to" he simply stated.

Sokka slinked down, so he was sitting on the ground but leaning against the tree still. "I don't wanna" he whined, as he hung his head. "I am tired" he whispered.

Aang did not respond as he was already sleeping and Sokka did not noticed as he fell asleep soon after.

The sun filtered through the trees and splashed across thier faces. Aang stirred first and found Sokkas head on his shoulder, a huge puddle of drool soaking his tattered shirt. He sighed, he did not want to wake him just yet, but could feel the wetness of his drool seeping into his shoulder.

"Sokka" he shook the man slightly. He mumbled something but did not move. "Sokka" he shook him again.

"Jus... ive..." he moved slightly and whiped more drool on Aang.

The Avatar sighed. "Sokka" he yelled.

His head popped up. "Wha...?" he looked around, his hair swinging wildly about.

"Its day time" Aang motioned to the sun. "We should probably move" he stated.

Sokka nodded as he whiped his mouth. "Sure" he frowned. "Something dripped on you" he motioned to the wet spot on his left shoulder.

Aang glared. "You dripped on me" he stated.

Sokka blushed. "Sorry"

Aang shrugged. "It's okay" he stated as he got to his feet. "But we should move. I am surprised we haven't been discovered yet"

Shrugging, Sokka got to his feet. "Maybe we are just such good hiders" he grinned as he stretched.

"Maybe" Aang stated. "Lets get moving"

They walked a bit more into the forest. The trees were small, but there was many of them, so they hoped they would not be seen if there were any guards out and about. And it had been nearly a day since their escape, surely there would be guards looking for them.

They were silent as they walked, but both were thinking the same thing. Neither could understand why Katara had done what she did. Why she wanted to stay with the Fire Nation Prince, why she helped them escape, why she did anything.

"I don't get her" Aang mumbled.

Sokka knew exactly who he was refering too. "Women are hard to understand"

"Do you..."Aang gulped. "Do you think she loves him?"

Sokka stopped walking. "I sure as hell hope not" he hoarsly whispered, afraid to yell.

Aang turned to him. "But what if she does?" he asked. "It is possible. Who knows how long they have been spending time together"

Sokka gritted his teeth and clentched his hand. "We have to go back for her" he growled.

They stood in silence. "We are going back to the palace" Aang told him. "We are going to defeat Ozai"

The Water Tribe man nodded. "I know that... and we probably don't have long before the comet" he looked up, but there was nothing to see beside the tops of trees. "And while we are there, we will find Katara"

The tone of his voice scared Aang, but he was sure it was just his worried, over-protective brother tone. He was sure he would have the same tone. In their years of travel, once his childish crush was over come, he began to think of her as a sister. He wanted to save her just the same.

"Do you think she betrayed us, willingly?" Aangs voice was so distant.

Sokka persed his lips together as he calmed down slightly. "I hope not" he sighed.

Aang looked around. "We will rest in the trees... until tomorrow. Then we will go back into the palace and do whatever we have to" Sokka agreed and they easily climbed the tree nearest them.

They slept all day and into the night, curling into each other for warmth. Sokka ended up soaking Aangs other shoulder in drool and nearly got pushed out of the tree for it, but the Avatar restrained himself. He only got a slap to the head for it, instead.

"We should get going" Aang stated.

Sokka nodded. "Should we clean up or something?" he motioned to their clothing, his wild hair, and the little spikes begining to grow on Aangs head.

The Avatar looked down at his own self. "I suppose we can't fight the Fire Lord, looking like this" he picked up the tattered edge of his tunic and let it fall against his legs. He glared at Sokka. "Why would he care what we look like?"

Sokka shrugged. "I just wanna a bath" he nearly whined.

Aang rolled his eyes. "Fine... maybe we can find Fire Nation clothing as well" he stated.

Sokka grinned. "Now you are thinking" He looked down at the ground. "We should get going" he jumped down and looked up at Aang. "The faster we get going, the faster we can save my sister and kill Ozai"

Quietly, skillfully and looking like Fire Nation palace guards, Sokka and Aang walked through the halls of the palace. They were clean, shaven, and feeling like humans again. Although they were much more cocky because of the uniforms, along with helmuts, they had stolen from a few guards who walked into the bath house after them.

"It was a good idea to take these" Aang nodded to himself. "Mines a little big, but..." he shrugged.

"You just don't eat enough" Sokka stated as they came to a cross roads in the hallways. "Now which way?"he asked himself.

Aang looked the three other ways then shrugged. "I thought you knew where you were going" he whispered.

"I was just walking" Sokka told him. He covered Aangs mouth before their was a retort. "Someones coming" he stated and pointed to the left of them.

They went across the hall and stayed near the wall, hoping no one would see them. They heard their voices before the two guards came into view.

".. in two days?" one asked. "I'm not sure having an execution during the Comet Festival is just a good idea"

The other shrugged. "It's up to the Fire Lord and Prince Zuko" he sighed. "I mean its not like we get the time off like everyone else"

The first nodded. "True. But we still get to go, even if we are escorts to the Prince and his whore"

Sokka clentched his teeth and wanted to hit the guard, but Aang held him back.

"If you said that around him, I think you'd loose something" the second told him. "besides, he doesn't treat her like a concubine..." their voices were lost as they got furthur down the hall way.

Sokka wiggled out of Aangs grasp. "I'm going to kill him" he whispered as he stalked off down the hall the two had come from.

Aang sighed as he quietly followed. He knew that Sokka was no match for the Fire Nation Prince, but he also knew that Sokka would try as hard as he could to fight him. Hopefully Katara would be able to heal Sokka if the event should arise.

They wandered, for what seemed like hours, only running into a few guards and only stumbling into a few rooms that did not belong to Prince Zuko or Katara. Although, from what they heard, they figured that the two would be in the same room.

Sokkas blood boiled at the thought of that firenation bastard touching his sister, let alone... he shuttered at the thought every time in entered his mind. Aang just made sure to make sure he did not go off by himself or walk into a wall. He cared about Katara and he wanted her to be okay, but he was more worried about Fire Lord Ozai.

"Should we check in here?" Sokka leaned against a door, to see if he could hear anything.

"I don't think we should try..." he began but Sokka had already opened the door and gone in.

"Sokka..." Aang hoasly whispered, but he ignored the Avatar as he walked more into the room. They were half way in when they realized they were in the right room and by then it was too late to turn back.

Sokka stopped and Aang ran into him, peering around his arm at what had made him stop. There in the rather large bed, slept the Fire Nation Prince, on his back. A dark body was pressed up against him, an arm over his torso, choclate hair covering his chest and hiding her face. But they knew who it was.

"Katara?" Sokkas voice cracked. Aangs mouth hung open, he had no idea what to say let alone think. "Katara" he hoarsly whispered. He crept closer to the bed, and noticed that they were both at least half naked. He closed his eyes and turned around, saying "Katara" over his shoulder.

"mm" was her response, as she opened her one eye. Aang finally made it up there and blushed when he saw the scene. He turned around as well as they heard Katara shift. "Who..."

"Katara" Sokka whispered, still not looking.

"Sokka?" she hissed. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she sat up, covering herself with the sheet.

"Coming to save you" Aang stated, when Sokka did not answer right away.

Katara climbed over Zuko and found the closes peice of material, Zukos robed and put it on. She walked up to them and around so they would look her in the face. "I don't need your rescuing" she told them as she pushed them towards the balcony. "I told you to go..."

"And we are... going to save you" Aang told her.

"No" she huffed as she leaned against the railing.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" Sokka yelled loudly, finally able to break his daze.

"I don't want to hear it, Sokka" she shot back.

"How.. how can you sleep with him?" he asked.

Katara crossed her arms. "Its my buisness, Sokka, just stay out of it"

"Fuck you, I'll stay out of it" his eyes were wide. "This is why you didn't want to come with us" he pointed his finger at him. "You are too busy being his whore, to help us"

Kataras eyes widened and from no where called water to her. She pushed it at Sokka and froze him where he stood. Casually she approached him. "Don't you ever call me that" she said through her teeth.

"Its true..." Sokka regretted it the moment it left his mouth. He noticed the full moon over her shoulder and his eyes went wide, as she flung him, wave and all, against the railing. She froze him in the awkward position he landed against the railing, semi-conscious.

"Katara" Aang softly called. She looked at him and it was as though he did not recognize her. As though their weeks apart has changed her. "What are you doing?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I will not be called a whore, by my own brother" she spat. "besides... a whore emplies sex for money or multiple partners" she calmed down but kept Sokka pinned. "And I have had neither" she looked at Aang only. "Now... I suggest both of you go"

"But... we.. don't know how to get anywhere" Aang told her. "We've been wandering all day"

She sighed. "You want to defeat Ozai?" she asked.

"I have to" he stated.

She paused to think. "His throne room is in the centre of the palace" she stated. "If you go to the right, down the hallway out there, you will come to it"

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I remember from the tour Lord Chen gave me, about two weeks ago" she told him as she unfroze Sokka. He was begining to become fully awake. "... keep your helmuts on until you get there" she instructed.

Sokka got to his feet and rang his hair out. "I can't beleiv..."

"And don't bring him back if he is going to be like that" she pointed to her brother. "I won't hesiste to bend him again"

Aang nodded. "Thanks, Katara" he smiled. "You look pretty with your hair down"

She blushed. "Thanks" she grinned as she moved out of thier way. "Now hurry... if you are lucky you can get there before the sun is up"

"Okay" Aang nodded as Sokka approached him as they turned to leave the balcony.

"And Aang..." she stated before they had disapeared. "Good luck" she whispered.

Aang dragged Sokka from the balcony and through the room, all the while Sokka was complaining about the way his sister had treated him.

Katara stared out at the courtyard Zukos balcony faced. She sighed as tears fell down her cheek. It was bad enough that others were calling her names for what she was doing, but she certainly did not need it from her own brother. She did not have to take it from him.

"Kat?" though his voice was low, she knew of only one person her called her that. She did not turn around, but whiped her tears away so he would not see.

"I couldn't sleep" she whispered.

He rolled his eyes. "I heard them" he stated as he came up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close.

"Go away" she tried to push him away from her, but he held her tight.

"You don't have to listen to them..."

She quickly turned around to look him in the eyes. "I didn't" she told him. "But its getting harder not to hear them"

"I know..."

"Fuck you, you know" she tried to push away but he held her there. "I hear the maids when they come to clean your room, or the random guard in the hallway when they don't see me. Everyone thinks that you are just using me..." she yelled at him. "And I don't even know if they are wrong"

He looked at her struggling in his arms and thought about letting go. But if he let her go, then she would surely leave and he would never see her again. And he had come to depend on her, enjoyed seeing her face when he walked into his room at night. Enjoyed having her sleeping next to him, comforting him. He also enjoyed controlling her. He held her tighter.

Tears leaked down her cheeks. "What do you want from me?" she asked for, what seemed, like the millionth time.

He took a deep breath. "I want you to stay with me" he told her. "I mean, its not like you have a choice"

She stopped struggling and looked at him. "And be what?" she asked. "Your concubine, a fuck buddy, a prisoner, just your friend... what will I be?" he could hear the indignation in her voice and he wished he did not have to answer her right now.

"I don't know" he honestly said. "And its not like it matters" he tried to brush it off, like he did every time, but he could tell by the look in her eyes that it would not be that easy.

Katara persed her lips together and pushed him away. "Until you make up your fucking mind..." she didn't bother with the rest as she stormed away from the balcony. A few moments later he heard her slam the door to his room. He did not have to worry about her, there was no where for her to go.

Zuko sighed as he stood on his balcony, drapped in only his sheet and let the humid air hit his body. He did not know what to do about her. Sure she was lovely, and spirited, and soft, and hard, and he melted when she looked at him with those blue eyes. And when she caved to his every will, there was nothing better. But he knew he would never marry her, never give her what she wanted and yet it was not as though that bothered him. He was more worried about loosing the one person he could control.

He had toyed with the idea of letting her go, letting her do whatever she wanted, but then he would have to break someone else and he was not sure he was up for that. So he had to decide if she was worth keeping around or would he be fine with letting her go.

He leaned on the railing and sighed, wondering if it would be as easy as he thought it would be. But he already knew the answer to that question.

Aang and Sokka walked down the hall that Katara had told them to. Once they started passing more guards, they knew they were going in the right direction. They nodded to the guards they passed, trying desperately to look like they belonged there.

The Avatar could tell that Sokka was still upset about his sister, he would mumble every once in awhile and Aang was sure that if they did not get to hurt something soon, Sokka would crack. Aang was surprised to find Katara with Zuko and yet not at the same time. It made sense to him and it made what she did when they were on the ship and disembarking, make sense. She was preserving herself and he did not think there was anything wrong with that. He had an entire state of being that protected him, so that he would be safe and able to continue the line of the Avatar. Being with Zuko was Kataras "Avatar State", he could not blame her for that and hoped that Sokka would not blame her forever.

With no real big dramaticness, they burst into the wide hallway and saw the grand doors they could only assume belonged to the Fire Lords throne room. They paused a moment to look at it before walking up to the guards at the door. Neither had a plan, they did not even know what to say, but figured they could think of something.

"Finaly... where the hell have you been?" the one guard asked them.

Sokka looked at Aang then back at the guard. "Sorry... lost track of time" he hoped it was the right thing to say.

"Well don't let it happen again" the guard motioned to his partner and they took off down the hall.

The two looked at each other. "I think we are guarding the Fire Lord" Sokka whispered as they took thier "posts".

"So... do we just go in?" Aang asked, making sure to keep his voice down.

"Well.. what are you going to do once you are in there?" Sokka kept a look out, making sure no one heard them.

Aang shrugged. "I have never thought that far" he stated honestly.

"In three years... you never came up with a plan?" Sokka asked hoarsly.

"Have you?"Aang retorted before standing perfectly still. Sokka micmiced him and they nodded to two guards passing by them.

"No" Sokka honestly told him. "That doesn't matter... we are here now and... we have to figure something out" he stated.

Aang thought a moment. "I suppose I should go in an confront him"

"Just remember all your training" Sokka stated and they both fell silent. "She'd be so proud of you" he whispered thinking of Toph.

"Yeah..." Aang nodded with a sigh. She had been hurt to the point that they thought she would die, and after many hours of healing, Katara had managed to make her stable enough to bring to the North Pole. Alone, it would take Katara weeks to heal her and even then it might not be complete. So they had decided to go to the North Pole. Katara had been kipnapped just before they left the Earth Kingdom, but they went to the North Pole anyways, fearing for Tophs life. They were captured just after they landed.

To keep everyone safe, Aang surrendered. They should have done that the first time they were at the North Pole, but to the Water Tribe it was not an option. They wanted to fight, to help defeat the Fire Nation. But this time, Aang would not hear of it. He surrendered and though Zuko always said he would let Sokka go, he asked for him as well. Against his better judgement Sokka went with them, if nothing else, it was to help his friend and his sister. He regretted the decision almost instantly.

As they were thrown into the hold of the ship, Zuko waisted no time in telling them how he knew where they were. That was how they found out it was Kataras fault, and for the rest of the two month voyage, it was all they could think and talk about. With one friend out of commision and the other siding with the enemy, the two boys had never felt so alone and so.. scared.

"Just remember what you learned from... her" he sneered the word. "And Toph and your improvised fire bending" in three years they had not been able to find another fire bending teacher. After the death of Jeong Jeong, there were no other fire benders who would teach him, so he improvised. And he learned to control it as much as possible, but against a strong fire bender, he figured he would fail hopelessly. "And if all else fails.. just go Avatar on his ass" Sokka looked around to make sure there was no one coming. "Good luck" he whispered as Aang opened the door.

The Avatar snuck into the throne room and squinted. It was very dark, aside from the fire pit around the throne. He could not see Fire Lord Ozai sitting there, so he wandered around the room, looking for where he would be.

"Well, well, well" came a sultry voice from the shadows. Aang recognized it immidiately. "What have we here?" Azula stepped out of the shadows. "Come to kill my father, have you?" she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yes" Aang said plainly.

"Well.. maybe you should try over there" she motioned to a door behind her. "thats where he sleeps"

Aang looked at her suspiciously. "Why.. would you tell me that?" he asked, weery of any help that she would offer.

Azula grinned. "Because.. you'll get rid of my father... I'll get rid of my brother.. and the throne will be mine" she grinned. "Its the only reason I've put up with his bullshit all these years"

When she smiled, it made Aang cringe. He looked at her as he quietly walked passed her. "And what happens when you are Fire Lord... Fire... Lady?" he asked.

She smirked. "Fire Queen" her eyes flared. "And.. I will ..." she sighed. "How about we leave that for after you've killed him"

Aang glared at her. "I won't kill one tyrant so he can be replaced by another" he told her as he readied himself for a battle.

She laughed. "I don't intend on being a tyrant" she was relaxed. "I intend on ruling my people... all of my people.. all around the world. So I guess I could take the title of Queen of the World"

Aang took a deep breath. There was no way he could take on Azula and then Ozai or the other way around. He looked at her then the door. He would destroy the current evil and worry about the next generation when it happened. Zuko may even defeat her, so he did not have to. Although he was not sure if the Prince would be better or worse than what was there already or his sister. It was a gamble Aang had to take.

Without saying a word he went towards the door she pointed to and opened it. Aang hung his head. The Fire Lord slept around a ring of fire as well. He closed the door and made his way to the bed.

"So you've finally come" Aang stopped dead in his tracks when the Fire Lords voice boomed.

"If everyone in this damn palace awake?" he asked himself as he tried to quickly think of what to do.

"I have been waiting for you, since I heard of your escape two days ago" Ozai told him, not bothering to sit up in his bed. " I figured I was your first target"

"You are.. were..." Aang took a deep breath. "I will defeat you, then Azula and Zuko if he gets in my way" he gritted his teeth to sound more menacing.

Ozai managed a slight chuckled. "Genocide of the Royal Family" Aang could hear the grinning in his words. "I didn't think you had it in, you Avatar"

"I am doing what I have to, to protect the world from you and those like you" Aang told him as he noticed the Fire increasing around the pit.

Ozai laughed outright this time. "There are plenty of people, from all the Nations, who are like me" he sat up, though Aang could still not see him. "They are just too weak to do anything about it"

Aang watched as the Fire Lord got out of his bed and walked through the fire. "If they try anything, I will defeat them as well. There is no need for one Nation to be stronger than the others"

"But we are stronger" the fire blazed and Aang wondered if it would burn down the Fire Lords room. "Fire benders are the strongest in the world... and I will show you why" Aang could see his red eyes glaring at him as the Fire Lord through a punch at him.

The fire ball came at Aang and he easily avoided it, without bending. He just stepped away from it. Though it was dark, Aang could see him and shot fire at him in return. Ozai laughed as he caught the small fire ball and sent it back at Aang. This time Aang blew it out.

"I have not even begun, Avatar, you might as well give up"

Aang took a deep breath. "I don't think so" he threw a gust of wind at him.

The Fire Lord deflected it with whips of fire and shot a large chain of fire at him. Aang deflected it towards a tapestry. It caught fire and began spreading.

"You'll burn down my entire Palace" Ozai stated, mater-o-factly.

"If thats what it takes" Aang stated as he stomped his foot. There was a slight tremour, but much of the floor was made of metal. Though he was the Avatar, Aang could not bend metal like Toph, as he could not feel the earth in the metal. But there was earth under it and he could feel that.

"Your elements won't help you here" Ozai stated as he bombarded Aang with fast punches and kicks. "There is not enough earth or water for miles"

Aang consitrated on the fire being thrown at him rather than what the Lord was saying, though he knew Ozai was right. He diverted the fire and more of the room went up in flame. The two began circling each other, trying to decide who would run from the fire first, though the Fire Lord already knew who it was.

Aang looked around and decided quickly about what he needed to do. He conjured all of the wind he could and blasted it at the Fire Lord. Ozai could not with stand it and went flying, through the door, into this throne room. Quickly Aang blew out all the fires and raced to meet him once more. He would not have the Palace being burned down, on his conscience.

The Fire Lord stood up, shaking his head. "It won't be that easy" he stated as he began a bonbardment again.

Aang was able to deflect them and they dispated before they could engulf anything in this room. He had to think of a way to stop the Fire Lord, but it was difficult to think with all the avoiding he was doing. He knew he could not stop the Fire Lord with his airbending, it was just not the way that bending worked and the only other bending at his disposal was firebending. He would have to use his un-refined technique on a master and dreaded it.

From within Aang called all his frustration and anger and chanelled it into a massive fire ball, between his hands. He launched it as the unsuspecting Lord and caught him off guard. The fire ball cinged him slightly as Ozai deflected it, but it was not defeating.

"So you have a bit of fire bending skill" Ozai chuckled as he snuffed out little fires on his clothing. "I will have to find the traitor and kill him" he stated.

"I learned on my own" Aang told him and he prepared another fire ball. He shot it at the Fire Lord before there was any time for him to really re-group. This one sent Ozai back a bit, igniting his entire shirt with fire.

With his eyes blazing, Ozai snuffed out the fires on his shirt and removed the strips of material, letting them fall to the floor. Igniting his hands and arms with flames, he whipped them at Aang.

The Avatar hovered around and missed them all, sending a whirl wind towards the Fire Lord. Ozai was caught off guard and fell to the ground. "You are strong" he stated as he got to his feet and brushed himself off. "But I know you can't kill me" he chuckled. "You're an Air Nomad... its not in you"

Aang took a deep breath. "I am also the Avatar, and I will defeat you" he took a deep breath. If he was going to stop Ozai, he would have to initiate the Avatar State. He knew, like the Fire Lord, that in his normal state he would never be able to defeat him. But if he initiated the Avatar State, all his past lives would come to help him, to protect him.

He blew Ozai away as he began his meditation. He had gone in and out of the Avatar State numourous times since mastering it, and he could get there fast. In seconds his eyes and tattoos were glowing, and he was absorbing the fire around the throne, into a whirlwing ball around him.

Ozai looked him and he suddenly looked scared. He knew what the Avatar State could do, he had heard reports from when it was used, although to see it was quite impressive. He stood up and threw a fire ball at him. It got absorbed in the swhirling fire as Aang walked towards him.

"You have become too powerful and unbalanced the world" the voice of all the Avatars boomed from Aang. "We will restore what you have damaged"

Ozai did not try to fight it, he knew he could not take on the Avatar in this state. He had barely kept up his end in regular combat. He stood there and watched the Avatar comand the fire ball around him. Before Ozai could blink fire consumed his entire body and he screamed in pain.

He was flung against the far wall, and fell in a smoking heap to the ground.

Aang looked around and found Azula still in the room. Her eyes went wide as she realized that he was focusing in on her. She took her stance and did the sweeping motions to call the lightening. She aimed it right at him, and gasped when it was absorbed by his spining circle of fire.

She did it again, and again her lightening was absorbe. This time it was sent back towards her, she tried to evade it, but failed and it caught her in the arm. She screamed as she fell to the floor. Aang did not hesistate to zap her again. When he was done, she was smoking as well.

As he calmed down, the fire disapeared, the room went black and he receeded from the Avatar State. He dropped to his knees, tears flowing from his face. He could not beleive what he had just done. Though it needed to be done, he could not beleive it had happened.

"Aang?" Sokkas soalthing voice penetrated his thoughts. "Aang?" he came closer, unsure where he was.

"I'm right here" he lit a small flame so Sokka could find him. The Water Tribe man ran to his side. "I'm okay" he told him.

"Is he..." Sokka began and Aang nodded.

"As well as Azula" he stated. He could still see thier bodies in his mind, the smoke from them and they way they looked sprawled on the ground.

Sokka nodded. "Thats good Aang... thats really good" he tried to convince him.

"I ... I... killed them" he whispered. "I... hate the Avatar State"

Sokka took a deep breath. "But you need the Avatar State. It's your protection" Sokka told him. Katara had always been the one to reasure Aang after the Avatar State, to assure him that things would be alright.

"I know" he whipped the tears away. "I know" he sighed. "And its for the betterment of the world"

"Exactly" Sokka smiled as he held out his hand. "C'mon" he helped Aang up, with his non-fired hand and they walked from the throne room.

They both had their helmuts off and neither cared if they were seen by the Palace guards. They walked down a hallway, unsure where it would lead or if they would ever get out. It had been a tiring trek, and their goal was finally reached, they deserved to rest.

Aang fell first, unconcious before he hit the floor. Sokka looked at him and went to help him up, but instead collapsed right beside him, unconscious as well.

Katara sat between the two beds that held her brother and her friend. They had been found not far from the throne room, unconscious. On Zukos orders they wer not to be harmed and brought to a spare bedroom in the palace. There were healers to look after them but Katara would hear nothing of it. She would take care of them.

They found Ozai and Azula dead soon afterwards. Zuko was on hand to make sure that people did not over react or try something stupid. He took charge effortlessly and the soldiers did not have a problem listening to his orders. His first one being, to set up funeral pyres for his father and sister. He may not have liked them very much, but he was not about to dishonour them.

Katara had not spoken to him in three days. She ignored him when he came to check on the two, and if he persisted, she would take an attacking stance. She never had to say anything to him, he got the hint and would leave. She did not want to here anything he had to say as she was sure she would not like it. Although it was getting harder to turn him away.

And looking at the two sleeping men, she knew she could not go with them. She could not stay with them or see Toph again. She could not stay with Zuko either, although she could stay in the Fire Nation, she was not sure she wanted to. It was too hot for her liking.

So she would leave. She would take whatever she could, maybe steal some money and leave. She did not want to stay with any of them, they would all judged her. She did not want that.

Carefully she got to her feet and kissed each one on the cheek. She would not leave them a message, she would just sneak off into the night and get away. She knew they would not look for her, after all she had done to them, and she did not want them to look for her.

With a glance back, she left them sleeping and made her way to Zukos room. Though she had not spoken to him in three days, it did not mean she did not want to say goodbye. She, in some strange way, cared about him. And she did want to see him one last time.

It was not hard for her to find her way there. Once someone got used to the Palace, everything was easy to find and she was at his door in minutes.

She was quiet as she entered and could see him in the bed. As she approached she noticed that he was on his back, at least half naked and she smiled. She had enjoyed sleeping next to him, he was always so warm and when he held her... She sighed, it was so nice.

Katara sat on the bed and moved the hair away from his face. She stroaked his burn-free cheek and blew him a kiss. "Bye" she whispered as she stood up again.

She had never been on her own before, but she was sure she would be alright.

"You can't leave" she was half way to the door when he spoke. She did not turn around, knowing that if she did, she would be lost in his gaze.

"Yes I can" she whispered. "I won't stay here and be... a thing" she took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

She heard him shift and step on the floor. He did not approach her, so she stayed where she was. "You won't be a... thing" he assured.

Against her better judgement, she turned and looked at him. He had just the sheet wrapped around his lower half, and she could see his creamy skin in the low light. She smiled as nice thoughts entered her mind, but it quickly faded. "You never told me what I would be" she pointed out.

"What do you want to be?" he asked as he took a step closer to her but she did not back off.

She paused a moment. "I want..." she took a deep breath. "I want..." a tear fell from her eye as Zuko took another step forward. "I want to be treated with respect, I don't want to be embaraced to walk around." she blushed slightly. "I don't want people to whisper about me... I want to be loved..." she did not realize that in her tirade, he had taken more steps towards her and when she realized, he was standing in front of her.

"Is that all?" he asked with a smile as he took her arms and brought him towards his body. She resisted at first, but then fell into him. "Do you think you'll make it out there?" he asked.

"I don't know.. but I won't stay here" she pushed against him. "I hate hearing the whispers, I hate the way people look at me and what they say... especially my brother ..."

Zuko hugged her and rubbed her back. "Then don't listen to them..."

"Thats easy for you to say, they don't talk about you... well bad things anyways" she grinned and he could tell that it would take some work to get her to tell him what she had heard. "They don't say things about..." she was cut off when he kissed her.

She resisted at first. It was not that they had not kissed before, but usually only when they had sex, in the heat of the moment. This was, something completely different. She felt his arms around her back and finally gave into his will. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled when his tongue licked her lips. She met his tongue with hers and they played in each others mouths a moment before Katara broke away.

"Wha..." she focused her eyes on him. "What was that?" she asked.

"I ... felt like kissing you" he grinned. "And I wanted to tell you something" he persed his lips together. "I have missed sleeping beside you" he whispered. "I've missed you and every time you would not speak to me, it felt like you were stabbing me" She moved her mouth but no words came out. He pecked her lips. "I just wanted you to know that"

"I don't know what to say" she blushed. "Does this mean... you have feelings for me?" she coyly asked.

He sighed "There is no need to hide it from you anymore... you aren't sticking around" She tried to move away but he held her close. "If I was really cruel, I lock you up in the dungeon or tie you to the bed..." There was something behind his smile that she did not understand.

"Zuko..." she let her hands drop to his biceps. She sighed. "What will I be?" she asked.

He looked down. "Does it matter?" she tensed and wanted to move away. "You'd be here, in the Palace, with everything at your disposal. What more do you need?"

She looked him in the eyes and was lost in their golden gaze. "I won't be just a thing to you.. something you can disguard. I want more than that, and if you can't give it to me.. I will find someone else" she took a deep breath and pushed against him again.

But Zuko held her firmly. "You won't be a thing. And you know you won't find anyone else as charming as I." he smirked.

She closed her eyes. "But I don't want to stay.." she whispered.

He leaned down to her ear. "Yes, you do" he bit her ear lobe and felt the skin on her arms raise in bumps.

"No..." she tried to convince them both.

"Yes" he told her with more authority. "You can't undermine me"

She took deep breaths as he began kissing her neck. "I... don't.. want..." she gasped as he bite her neck.

"This isn't a debate" he told her while still kissing her neck. He kissed her jaw then her lips but she would not kiss him back. He frowned. "Don't be like that" he held her chin with his finger and thumb. "You know you can't resist me, Kat" he saw her smirk at her pet name. "Just ..." he pecked her lips. "Give in"

This time she did not resist him, she hugged him fiercely and moaned when thier tongues met. It did not take much to convince her out of her clothing and into his bed. He kissed, bit, and licked all over her body so her moans were constant and when he climaxed inside her it was with the force of a thousand volcanoes. It left her breathless and form the look in her eyes, he knew that she would not be going anywhere, not that she really ever had a choice.


End file.
